Hot Topics:

Grossman: Tax help, fewer fees can fuel Mass. startups

LOWELL -- Like entrepreneurs making their pitches to judges, state Treasurer Steve Grossman told area businesspeople on Friday that he's also competing in a pitch contest.

It's not exactly the same as the Merrimack Valley Sandbox contest, but the Democratic candidate for governor also has to show that what he's proposing will help others and "affect lives in a positive way."

"I'm in a pitch contest right now, and I'll get the results back in September," said Grossman, who will face Attorney General Martha Coakley and former federal health-care administrator Don Berwick in the primary.

On Friday, Grossman hosted a roundtable discussion with entrepreneurs at the Merrimack Valley Sandbox on Cabot Street.

After hearing complaints about barriers to starting businesses in Massachusetts, Grossman said it's important for the state to implement "common-sense tax policies" to make it easier for entrepreneurs.

"We need to make the state more competitive," he said. "I would also want to see if there are pools of resources to help expand the mission of these types of initiatives."

The Merrimack Valley Sandbox, an incubator group that encourages the development of startups in the region, was founded in 2010 with $5 million in seed money from the Deshpande Foundation.

Advertisement

In 3 1/2 years, the Sandbox has provided resources to more than 1,000 student and adult entrepreneurs in the region.

The Sandbox has helped accelerate more than 40 early-stage ventures, including local ideas, nonprofits and high-tech plans. For the entrepreneurs, it has built a mentor community of more than 120 successful businesspeople and partnered with more than 40 entities, including private businesses, community-based programs, schools and government agencies.

"They have great ideas but don't have the contacts and networks, so we're trying to bridge that gap," David Parker, the nonprofit Sandbox's executive director, told Grossman.

Four entrepreneurs who attended Friday's discussion said the government should invest in initiatives like the Sandbox, lower upfront business taxes and fees, as well as give more tax breaks so companies can assemble products here in Massachusetts.

"I want to nurture an entrepreneurial culture, and some of the fees are a ton of money for startups," Grossman said. "We need to help them grow and add jobs, and alleviating fees in the early stages would be a big payout."

The entrepreneurs who attended Friday included Cheryl Hajjar of Indigo Pixies, Susu Wong of Tomo360, Debbie Kenny of Meetcaregivers and Gary Chamberlain of ProMotion.

In addition, City Councilor Corey Belanger told the entrepreneurs about the various resources available in Lowell. He stressed that the city will have its doors open for the Sandbox to help entrepreneurs reach their goals.

Friday unofficially made it "roundtable week" in Lowell as the third candidate for governor hosted a roundtable discussion in the city.

Coakley stopped at Brew'd Awakening Coffeehaus Tuesday as part of her "On Our Terms" tour of the state -- a series of roundtable discussions aimed at allowing voters to tell the candidate their priorities.

On Wednesday, Republican candidate Charlie Baker met with area business leaders at the Olympia Restaurant, holding a small-business roundtable as part of his "Great Again Massachusetts Tour." He discussed his economic initiatives to increase economic opportunity and grow small businesses.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.